John Edward Cooper’s Notes
Sunday 16 September 2012
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[2012] [Saturday 15 September 2012] 10:44 Manchester Airport; 13:53 Cleethorpes Felt OK this morning, so I decided I would have Bewley’s “Full Irish” breakfast (indistinguishable from “Full English”, I found). Janet wasn’t expecting it, though, so after she’d packed there wasn’t much time available.
I was able to have proper Rice Krispies — unlike the “Rice Crumpies” of Italy they were proper, unsweetened ones — and nice thick-cut bacon, as opposed to the microtome-sliced version in Russia. The sausages were tasteless, bread-filled things, though, and the coffee from a machine was unpotable. We checked out a little after 10am; and there was a shuttle “van” waiting outside — it looked like a van, but when one got inside, it proved to have windows — which took us to the railway station. The train arrived at ca.10.30am. The announcement said not to board while the train was being prepared, but to await a further announcement; when that came, we went out onto the crowded platform and found the doors locked for perhaps five minutes more. Everyone seemingly had large bags (it was at the station for people coming from the airport!), so the tiny amount of luggage-rack space was immediately used up, and luggage had to be piled up in the space between doors; and, what’s more, many people had to stand. The stop at Manchester Piccadilly exacerbated the overcrowding. We called to mind the spacious train with adequate luggage-stowage space from Moscow to St. Petersburg. That’s the way to run railways!
The congestion eased at Sheffield — though the platform was on the right-hand side where people’s luggage was piled, so that had to be shifted first before people could get off. Our oriental travelling-companion, pictured above, left us there. Janet was able to join the queue of people leaving the train, and move our bags from the door-space to the luggage rack.
A bunch of noisy, ebrious young bastards was occupying the next coach when I went there for the loo. As is our wont, because of the availability of taxis, we got off at Grimsby Town station. I sat in the ticket office/café area with our luggage while Janet went to a nearby supermarket for milk. We got a large, spacious taxicab home, ca.2pm.… [2012] |
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